


The way to a man's heart

by flamyshine



Series: The six senses [3]
Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Food Kink, M/M, Pre-Established Relationship, dirty baking talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-16
Updated: 2011-11-20
Packaged: 2017-10-26 03:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/278381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamyshine/pseuds/flamyshine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike is a secret stress baker and Harvey secretly has a sweet tooth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mike's other secret

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for LJ suits_meme. The prompt was ‘Mike is a stress baker who is too embarrassed to tell people that he bakes, but his baked treats are heavenly. Harvey secretly has a sweet tooth and can’t get enough of Mike’s baked goods.’

“Oh wow, where did you get these?”

Rachel closed her eyes and enjoyed her cupcake, letting out a moan that was far from being appropriate in front of a colleague. If Mike hadn’t recently developed a crush on his boss, he would’ve knelt down on one knee and confess his undying love to her right there on the bench.

“It’s a secret.” Mike smiled as he finished one himself.

“Come on, Mikey. There’s no secret between us.”

Mike shook his head as he thought about just how many secrets there were between them. Rachel didn’t know that he wasn’t from Harvard, or that he had a crush on Harvey, or that he was a stress baker.

“Am I not your best friend at work anymore?” Rachel narrowed her eyes as she took a chocolate chip cookie from Mike’s lunch bag.

“Of course you are!”

“Then spill it! So I can buy these myself without having to steal yours.”

Mike thought about it but he was too embarrassed to admit that he had baked the desserts himself. He had been teased for his soft features all his life; he didn’t want to give anyone a reason to tease him more. Rachel had already teased him the other day that he would’ve made a nice ballerina.

“Are you afraid I’ll buy all of this baker’s products and leave you with nothing?”

“No. It’s not like you’ll buy the whole bakery. You’re not a big girl.”

“Oh my god, don’t tell me you have a crush on the baker and you don’t want me to ask him or her out.”

“What? No! It’s nothing like that.” Mike waved his hand.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s just that… the baker doesn’t like the spotlight. He’s a very shy person.”

“Aha! So it’s a ‘he’!” Rachel had never been so excited to learn someone’s sex.

Mike looked at her with disbelief. “You’re really that curious? It’s just some cookies and cupcakes.”

Rachel looked offended. “You know I’m a foodie! And, believe me, these are _not_ just some cookies and cupcakes.”

Mike was happy to hear her value his baking skills so highly, but it still didn’t change his mind to keep yet another secret from his best friend at work.

*****

Later in the afternoon, Mike was heading down to the files room when he heard a female voice coming from the dark.

“Psst, over here, Mike.”

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Mike’s head snapped to the person who spoke. “Donna? What are you doing down here?”

“Shh! This is a secret meeting that has never happened.”

Donna urged Mike into the files room and locked the door behind her. “This room isn’t bugged and there are no security cameras in here.”

Mike wondered what this was about. “Okay…?”

“Rachel tells me you know the best baker in town.”

“Oh, you can’t be serious.”

“I live for cookies, Mike. I am very serious. Do not make me torture you to get the information I want.”

Mike pondered about the possibility of revealing himself much more seriously. If he had learned one valuable lesson while working at Pearson-Hardman, it was that Donna shouldn’t be messed with. If she tortured him, Harvey would probably defend her and keep her out of jail, which would lead to more torture until he gave up the name of the baker.

“You haven’t even tasted them. How can you be sure he’s the best baker in town?”

“I trust Rachel completely when it comes to food. Her parties always have food that make you want to keep her in a cage.”

“Oh…”

“So?” Donna approached Mike with a determined look on her face.

“Um…” Mike took a step backwards.

Donna took another step forward and shot him her very best ‘Do not mess with me’ look.

_Gulp._

Mike quickly took out his phone and hit speed dial number two.

“What is it, Mike?”

Mike was grateful that Harvey picked up after only two rings. “Harvey! Donna’s trying to…”

“Oh, you did not.”

“Harvey!!” Mike yelled as Donna confiscated his phone and ended the call.

“You called Harvey? Mike Ross, you know Harvey would pick me over you.”

She didn’t think that she had said something cruel, but Mike’s eyes showed that he was hurt.

“Mike? Is everything all right?”

“You’re right. He’d pick you over me. Excuse me.”

Mike unlocked the door and left the room, kicking himself for having reacted so emotionally over something that would never change.

  
*****

  
The next morning, Mike walked into his kitchen and had to gasp. There were all sorts of muffins, cupcakes, and cookies absolutely everywhere.

‘Did I really bake all these?’

Mike tried to remember what had happened last night. The minute he had come home, he had hit speed dial number three on his phone and barked at his supplier that he needed more weak flour and pretty paper with star patterns on it within the next hour. When his supplier had knocked on his door with a grumpy face, he had given him two cupcakes that were left from the other day and had dismissed him before he could protest. Then he had baked and baked and baked into the night, trying to release some of his stress, frustration and loneliness.

‘Oh my, I’m losing my mind. But I have a better excuse this time! Donna’s words cut me to the bone!’

It was obviously very stressful to work at a competitive law firm as big as Pearson-Hardman. It was even more stressful to work for Harvey, the best lawyer of the firm. Mike hadn’t been sure if his recent feelings for Harvey were due to a real crush or if they were just a means to adapt to his new environment until Donna’s words cut him.

‘Great! As if I’m not under enough stress!! Now I have confirmation that I really have a thing for my boss who couldn’t care less about a lowly associate!’

Mike threw his hands in the air and let out a sigh. Harvey was the one person in the firm that he didn’t have to worry about regarding his many secrets. Harvey already knew about his suitcase full of weeds, about how he didn’t go to a law school, and how he had cheated on LSATs for other people.

‘Great! As if I don’t have enough secrets! Now I have to watch my mouth in front of Harvey too! Life is just great!’

Mike thumped his head against the nearest surface and closed his eyes. There was no way he could eat all of what he had baked. It was time to play the nice neighbor and the bribing associate.

*****

“Want some? I have plenty today.” Mike opened the box full of muffins as soon as he walked into Rachel’s office.

“Oh, he bakes muffins too? I _must_ taste them!” Rachel shot up from her seat and took a muffin.

“I have cupcakes and cookies too if you want. Just stop by my cubicle whenever you want some.”

Rachel looked at him curiously. “Are these on sale today? Because if they are, you have to tell me where this bakery is!”

Mike hated to lie but he saw no other options. “Yeah, they only have a big sale once a year and it’s today. Well, I should say ‘was’ because they’re probably sold out by now. The lines were so long. You have no idea.”

“So that’s why you look so tired.”

Mike nodded and left the office in a hurry as Rachel let out yet another inappropriate moan with a piece of muffin in her mouth.

*****

“Hey.” Harvey pulled out one of Mike’s earphones as he stood by his associate’s cubicle.

“Hey. You need something?”

“Yeah, you. Do you have any plans for lunch?”

“No. Why?”

“Dickson wants to meet us on Thursday. I could use your help going over his case.”

“On Thursday? But there’s a lot of paperwork! He can’t wait till next Monday?”

“Apparently he can’t.”

“Okay. You want me to start right now?”

“Yeah. Work with me in my office. It’ll be faster.”

Mike nodded and gathered his things while Harvey walked back to his office, giving Donna a small nod to tell her that the plan was in motion.

*****

After hours of hard work with Mike on the coffee table, Harvey looked up at the clock. It was half past noon.

“Mike, you should get some lunch.”

“I’ve packed my lunch. You should go out and get some while I finish this one.” Mike pointed at the brief that he was reading.

“Nah, I don’t have much appetite today.”

Mike looked up with worried eyes. “How come? Fatigue?”

“I’m not sure. I just don’t feel like eating anything. But go ahead. Go bring your lunch.”

Mike stood up with a little uncertainty. He wondered if it was appropriate to have lunch in front of his boss who wasn’t feeling too well.

He brought his lunch bag but was still unsure to open it. “Um, don’t you think the smell of food will make you sick?”

“What have you packed?” Harvey asked innocently.

“Uh… some muffins and cupcakes.”

“That’s what you usually have for lunch?” Harvey frowned.

“Not exactly. I just… overbought these this morning. Big sale at the bakery.” Mike realized that if he didn’t go easy on stress baking, he would have to cook up more elaborate lies since he had already told Rachel that the big sale occurred only once a year.

“Well, enjoy your lunch.”

Harvey went back to his brief, fully aware that Mike was still hesitating to eat. He mentally cursed the fact that his associate cared too much for a lawyer. He wondered if Mike had actually gone to Harvard and had spent more than enough time with heartless dicks and bitches, would Mike still have been the same caring Mike.

“Harvey?”

Harvey looked up from his brief. “What is it?”

“I don’t know if Donna told you or if you like muffins, but I get these from a pretty good bakery. Would you like to try one in case it brings back your appetite a little bit?”

Harvey thought about how Donna had coached him how to act in a situation like this. So he made a hesitating face and spoke softly. “Are you sure? I don’t want to steal your lunch. Young boys eat a lot.”

“It won’t be stealing if I’m offering it myself.”

“Still, you only have a few muffins there.”

Mike looked slightly embarrassed as he confessed, “To be completely honest with you, I really overbought these so I have another box of muffins under my desk.”

Sensing the change of expression on Harvey’s face, Mike decided to put his foot on the accelerator. “You know how sweet food can bring back your appetite, right? Since I have plenty of muffins, why don’t you try one?”

Mike even put one on the brief for Harvey to taste.

Harvey observed the brown muffin. It did look tasty like Donna had told him. “It has almonds.” He loved almonds.

“Yeah, I thought that… well, I asked him if he had ones with almonds and he did.” Mike reminded himself that he should be more careful if he wanted to keep this secret.

“Well, thanks then. I’ll give it a try.” Harvey picked up the muffin, lowered the pretty paper around it and took a bite.

For the second time in his life, Harvey considered the possibility that God might actually exist. (The first time was when Donna had walked into his life). Who else could’ve baked these other than God himself? The fact that Mike was reluctant to reveal the identity of the baker added more weight to his theory. Wouldn’t Mike rather give up his source and enjoy the muffins in peace than having to put up with people constantly stealing them and Donna threatening to torture him?

“This is good.” Harvey had to say that much even though he wasn’t going to tell his associate that he secretly had a horrid sweet tooth; he had an image to uphold.

Mike realized that he had been holding his breath, waiting for the verdict. If Harvey said it was good, it was good. Looking at Harvey take another bite with a satisfied look on his face made Mike want to run out of the office and do handsprings from one end of the hall to the other end of it.

‘I should tell Grammy about this! It’s her recipe after all. God, Harvey should taste my cupcakes too!’

Mike tried not to get too excited as he was sitting across someone who knew how to read people well. He wasn’t going to give Harvey another reason to tease him when Harvey had already pictured him in drag. That wasn’t the kind of impression you wanted to leave on the person you had a crush on.

“Where do you get these?” Harvey asked casually as he finished his muffin.

Mike shrugged and handed over another one. It was nice to see him get his appetite back. “It’s far from here. Not worth the trouble going there just for muffins.”

Harvey studied Mike’s face as he took the muffin from his hand. “I see.”

Just when Mike thought that the coast was clear, Harvey asked, “You bike all the way down there?”

“Uh, no. Jenny gives me a ride since she has a sweet tooth too.” He was becoming a smooth liar; on the right path to be a great lawyer!

“She hasn’t made a pass at him yet?”

“Well, you see, he’s gay. Otherwise, he would’ve had a harem of beautiful girls from all over the world.” Mike smiled as he thought about himself in an alternate universe.


	2. Mike's stalker

Apparently, keeping up with a lie required a lot of work. It was tiring to remember what he had told his colleagues, so one night, safe at his own place, he pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote down every single detail about the mystery baker.

To those who worked at Pearson-Hardman, the baker was known to be:  
\- a gay man in the age range of 19 to 63 (Donna assumed that Jenny wouldn’t hit on someone who would be under aged or someone who was 40 years older than her if the baker hadn’t been gay.)  
\- who owned a bakery quite far away which opened at six o’clock in the morning (since Mike arrived on time at work on his bike)  
\- who had a big sale only once a year because his treats sold so well

The baker was also known to be:  
\- a very shy man who didn’t enjoy the spotlight (At this point, Jessica and several partners had lowered the possible age to under 32, insisting that when you get past that age, you do not shy away from the spotlight which could make your life easier.)  
\- whose specialty was baking chocolate chip cookies, almond muffins and cupcakes. (There was a debate going on about this matter though. Kyle and Gregory insisted that the baker probably baked better croissants but that Mike never got there before they were sold out.)  
\- who liked to send messages via cupcakes (‘HOLY SHIT!!’, ‘KICK ASS’, ‘I COME IN PEACE’, etc.)

‘This is ridiculous.’

Mike put down the pen. Even if he wanted to stop with the lies, the matter had already spun out of control. He felt that it was too late to reveal the truth even though he knew that the secret would come out at some point. Besides, despite having another secret to keep, there were clearly some positives; his fellow associates didn’t pull pranks on him, Louis didn’t touch his shoulders, and Jessica had told him that he had excellent taste. Mike also worried that if they found out, they would put him in a cage in Harvey’s office and make him bake from morning to night.

‘Oh, and I know how to bake croissants too, thank you very much.’

Mike added ‘croissants’ on his to-do list, just to prove to those dickheads that he could get to the hypothetical bakery on time.

*****

“Are you familiar with the bible, Mike?” Louis took a cupcake with scales on it from Mike’s cubicle.

Mike had stopped bothering about going easy on baking a couple of days ago. He was under more stress than before and people were actually being nice to him. When Rachel had asked, he just said that he had become addicted and had to buy in bulk even when they were not on sale.

“Mike, bible?” Louis snapped his fingers in front of Mike’s face.

“Uh, I’m not a religious person if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You see, Mike, there are actually very different theories about what God really did on his first day.”

“Okay…?”

“You know what I think? I think God made these heavenly goods on his first day at work.”

Mike’s eyes grew wide. Did Louis just compare him to the Almighty God?

“Wow, that’s very flattering, Louis. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

Then Louis leaned in and whispered like a snake, “If you could just drop a small hint of who he is, I’ll make you my pony without making you jump through hoops.”

“Um… I still work for Harvey…” Mike looked up awkwardly. He’d rather stay in a cage in Harvey’s office than be a pony in Louis’ stable.

“You haven’t heard what I offer to my ponies.”

Mike really didn’t want to hear about it, so he pointed at the brief that he had been reading and pleaded, “Please, Louis. I really have to get this done. Harvey’s breathing down my neck.”

“Fine, get back to work. I like hard working ponies anyway.” Louis took a cookie from the box and walked back to his office.

*****

“Did you finish all of those?” Harvey pointed at the stacks of briefs that Mike had just dropped on his desk.

“Yep. You’ll be proud of me.”

“I’ll be proud of you if you’ve managed to get away from Louis with less than four cupcakes.”

“He took one cupcake and a cookie this morning. Then he snatched another cupcake just now. He wanted a muffin too but I saved it for you.”

Harvey nodded with a smile on his face. “I’m impressed. The puppy has learned how to guard his territory.”

Mike laughed, hoping that he wasn’t blushing. He loved it when Harvey dropped the puppy analogy on him.

“You know, he kept talking about his pony thing. Could you tell him once and for all that I belong to you? You’re the one who hired me.”

“What did he offer you?”

“Oh god, he was about to tell me about it, but I pretty much begged him not to. I don’t want any nightmares.”

Harvey chuckled and opened his lunch bag. In the past couple of days, Harvey had had lunch with Mike in his office. They had a large amount of work to do, so it wasn’t difficult to hide the fact that he was aiming for Mike’s muffins. Mike didn’t seem to mind spending his lunch hours with him, and Harvey found it easier to enjoy his meal around his associate than around other partners; Mike wasn’t balding quickly and didn’t have a sleazy smile.

They usually discussed the case for about ten minutes and then let their conversation drift to more casual matters. Mike told Harvey about all the gossips and bets that were going on in the associates’ area and Harvey told him funny stories about Louis before Mike had entered the firm. Their lunch would end with swapping desserts; a pomegranate for an almond muffin. Mike always offered him another cookie or a small cupcake, but Harvey was careful not to give Mike the idea that he might have a sweet tooth. One day, he would reluctantly accept a cookie since it would be rude to keep turning him down.

 _Knock-knock._

Donna appeared as Mike was getting up from the couch. “Harvey, Jessica wants to see you in her office. She says it’s urgent.”

Harvey raised his eyebrows. “Do you know what it’s about?”

Donna shook her head and went back to her area as Harvey marched to the managing partner’s office.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, Harvey. Sit.”

Harvey sat down as he studied Jessica’s face. She looked anxious.

“You said it was urgent.”

“As a matter of fact, it is.”

Harvey noticed that she also looked slightly embarrassed. “I’m intrigued. You screwed up on a case and need my help?”

“No, it’s not about work.”

“Don’t tell me you got married in Vegas.”

“Is that what you think of me?”

“Then what is it?”

Jessica sighed. “I need to know where the kid gets those cupcakes.”

“Don’t we all? I asked him twice and he pleaded the fifth. I’m assuming it’s his grandmother. He probably thinks we’ll ask for even more baked treats if we find out it’s her.”

“You don’t understand, Harvey. I can’t have anything else for breakfast. I even got one of the cupcakes tested for drugs, but it came back negative.”

“You tested Mike’s cupcakes for drugs.” Harvey repeated, making sure that he got it right.

“Do not judge me, Harvey. I know how you suddenly started to have lunch with him every single day.”

Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose. “What do you want me to do? Reduce him to tears so he’ll spill it? Trust me, Donna tried that and it didn’t end well.”

“I was thinking of a more elaborate method.”

“I’m listening.” Harvey had a bad feeling about this.

*****

That night as Mike biked home, he had an odd feeling as if someone was watching him. The next morning, he had the same feeling as he loaded the boxes of baked goods on the back of the bike.

“Hello? Anyone there?”

Mike looked around, but all he saw was a black cat approaching him probably because of the sweet smell.

“Aww, aren’t you a little cutie?” Mike got down on one knee and patted the cat.

“Grrrlll…”

The cat made a satisfied sound from the back of its throat and Mike fed him two chocolate chip cookies.

“Oh, shit. I’m gonna be late.”

He checked the time and got up, caressing the cat one last time. But as he was closing the lid of the box, he noticed that three cookies were missing.

‘Wait. I thought I fed him two. Did I eat one too?’

Mike moved his tongue around in his mouth, but obviously there was no lingering taste of a cookie.

‘How weird.’

He shrugged and decided to let it go as he was really going to be late if he didn’t leave now.

He managed to forget about that odd feeling throughout the day, but when he got on his bike after work, he felt it again.

“Harvey?” He thought that maybe his boss needed one of the briefs that he was taking home.

“Kyle? Is that you? Quit it! It’s not funny!”

He couldn’t think of anyone else and he didn’t see anyone either. There were several cars parked in front of the building, but it was too dark to see if someone was watching him from his car and most of the cars had tinted windows anyway.

‘Let’s say someone’s watching me. What would he want from me? Revenge for helping Harvey win a case? Did we destroy someone’s life?’

Mike pondered for a moment but he couldn’t think of any recent names.

‘Surely, a mugger wouldn’t follow me all the way home. He must’ve noticed that I don’t live in a posh area.’

Mike took one last look around and decided that it was safe to go home. He was exhausted; he wasn’t getting enough sleep with all the work and stress-baking. Of course, a normal person would give up on baking and get more sleep, but if he didn’t let out his stress and bake for hours, he would get all sorts of nightmares. As far as he was concerned, it was better to get three hours of sound sleep than six hours of low-quality sleep.

‘Hmm, how much butter do I have left? I should check if I have enough sugar too.’ Mike reminded himself as he walked up the stairs. He couldn’t wait to get busy in the kitchen.

 _Creak._

Mike stopped dead in his tracks. The old wooden stairs always creaked but it hadn’t just creaked under his feet. Someone else was there, and it was midnight.

“Mrs. Blake?” Mike turned around, hoping to see a harmless old lady.

“Hello? Who’s there? I’m going to call the police!” He hoped that his voice didn’t sound as terrified as it did in his ears.

 _Creak._

“Ahhhh!! Heeeelp!!!”

Mike started running up two stairs at once, trying to get his keys out of the bag. The man didn’t seem to be chasing him, but he was too scared to turn around and check.

 _Bang._

He slammed the door shut and locked it as he dropped to the floor.

‘Who the hell was that??’

He thought that he had seen a guy with a baseball cap one floor below. The guy looked like he was trying to stay out of Mike’s sight; it was a relief, really, because it meant that he didn’t want to harm Mike just yet.

‘Is he some kind of a private detective working for the opposing counsel? Does my face or physique attract creepy stalkers?’

Mike put his ear on the door, trying to listen. He wasn’t sure if calling the police would change anything. It seemed quiet outside; the guy had probably left by now.

‘Oh my god, so I wasn’t paranoid. Oh god…’

His giant brain entertained him with all kinds of thriller movies and books that he had come across in the past. Judges, prosecutors, and lawyers got hurt and killed all the time. Even though he couldn’t think of anyone with a grudge, there must be someone that he was missing.

‘Maybe it’s from before I started working here. Maybe someone knows I work for Harvey. Oh god, Harvey!’

Mike pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket but realized that it was past midnight. So he opted to leave a text message.

 _Is everything ok there? Someone just followed me home. I’m ok though._

Hoping that Harvey would text him back soon, he got up from the floor and looked through the peephole of the door. Of course, in scary movies, you shouldn’t do that if you valued your eyes, but Mike had already established the fact that the stalker didn’t want to harm him tonight.

‘Okay, I don’t see anybody, but it won’t hurt to take some precautions.’

He thought about the episode of the TV show ‘Criminal Minds’ where Agent Prentiss prepared herself to get through the night without getting killed.

‘I should do the same, just in case. You never know!’

He put a chair leaning against the door so that the chair would make a noise if someone tried to open the door. Then he put a salt shaker and other glass objects on the high windowsills so that they would hit the floor if someone tried to open the window. Then finally, he filled up huge mugs with water and put it on the edge of the shoe shelf, coffee table, and the kitchen table so that if the intruder somehow made it into the house without making a noise, he would let his guard down and move around, knocking the mugs to the floor.

‘And, I should sleep with a knife under my pillow and a pair of scissors in the drawer of my nightstand.’

He looked around at the booby traps and checked his phone. Harvey still hadn’t answered.

‘He’s probably busy snoring like a truck driver.’ He thought as he giggled at the image.

‘But what if the stalker left my place and went to his instead? He has glass walls all over his place!’

Mike’s imaginative mind immediately pictured a deep-sleeping Harvey on his bed and a dark shadow right outside the bedroom glass wall, ready to break in with a glass cutter in his hand.

“Noooo!”

He hit speed dial number two and waited patiently. He would rather face Harvey’s wrath for having woken him up at an ungodly hour than toss and turn all night in bed, worried sick.

“Pick up the phone, you idiot!!”

As the call went to voicemail, Mike left a message. “Harvey, this is Mike. If you get out of the shower… or get back from anywhere else, please leave me a text. Thanks.”

He put down the phone on the coffee table and shook his head. He couldn’t believe that he was picturing his boss in the shower when his life might be in danger.

 _Tick-tick._

Minutes went by and there was still no call or message from Harvey.

“That’s it!”

He grabbed his keys, wallet and phone and sprinted out of the flat.

*****

 _Bang-bang._

“Harvey!! Open up!”

Mike pounded on the door over and over again.

‘Oh please Harvey… I haven’t even told you how I feel about you!!’

He felt tears creep into his eyes as he pictured awful scenarios in his mind. He pulled back his fist to knock even harder when the door finally opened.

“Mike?” A rather pale and sleepy Harvey answered the door.

Relief washed over Mike and he threw himself at Harvey, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.

“Mike? What’s wrong?”

Harvey locked the door with Mike attached to him and patted his associate on the back.

“Tell me what’s wrong. You’ve come all the way down here in the middle of the night.”

“Where’s your phone? You didn’t get my text? I even left you a voicemail!” Mike asked as he reluctantly pulled back.

“I was feeling under the weather and put it on mute. Why? What’s going on?”

Mike sat on the couch and told him what had happened; from when he thought that someone was following him to when he spotted a man with a baseball cap following him up the stairs.

“Oh, and I’m not sure about this part, but I think the stalker even stole one of my cookies. Who does that?”

Harvey bit his tongue not to chuckle at the image of Ray stealing a cookie when he was supposed to stay out of Mike’s sight.

“Now that he’s been made, I don’t think he’ll bother you again, but if he does, you let me know, all right?”

Mike nodded. “Anyway what’s wrong with you? More fatigue? Lack of appetite?”

“I don’t know but I’m sure it’s nothing. I probably just need a good night’s sleep.”

“Oh, if I knew you were sick, I would’ve brought some muffins.”

Harvey’s mouth immediately watered at the mention of muffins. One muffin at lunch wasn’t enough anymore, so he had been thinking about accepting an extra cookie or a cupcake from now on.

Mike watched Harvey’s face with amusement. His boss’ face was rarely this readable; it was probably because he wasn’t feeling too well.

‘Hmm, so he can’t stop thinking about my delicious muffins, can he? Oh god, that sounded dirty.’

Mike knew that it wasn’t the time or place to have dirty thoughts about his boss, so he carried on with the conversation. “Do you want me to run to the drug store? Get you something?”

“If you could just put on the teapot on your way out, that would be fine.”

Mike nodded and walked into the kitchen.

“Oh wow…”

The first thing that caught his eyes was the beautiful built-in oven. It looked so modern and classy that Mike wanted to get down on his knees and kiss the life out of it.

‘This is fucking gorgeous…’

Mike ran his fingers along the handle and slowly opened it. Of course, Harvey would own the perfect oven even when it seemed like he rarely used it.

‘If I had one of these, I could probably bake even better muffins for him.’

He was too busy fondling the oven that he didn’t notice Harvey standing right outside the kitchen, watching him closely.


	3. Mike's new tactic

The next morning, Harvey went straight to Jessica’s office as soon as he entered the building.

“I told you it was a bad idea. All I did was scare the hell out of the kid.”

“Well, good morning to you too, Harvey. And, how could Ray possibly scare anyone? That man wouldn’t even scare a fly.” Jessica looked up from her paperwork.

“Then apparently Mike is scared more easily than a fly. Ray did see him bring out the boxes from his own building, but he followed him up the stairs to see which one of the neighbors was responsible for it.”

“And you still think it’s his grandmother?”

Harvey didn’t answer. He had seen how Mike had reacted at the sight of his high-quality oven. The scene was shocking; Mike had been caressing the oven as if it was a person that deserved to be loved. Those long, thin fingers had been gliding over the handle, his breath had been ghosting over the…

“Harvey?” Jessica noticed that her favorite lawyer wasn’t paying any attention to her. And, he looked a little sick.

“You don’t look too well. Feeling guilty about scaring the kid?”

“I’m fine.” Harvey waved off her concern. Then he heard the managing partner chuckle.

“What’s so funny, Jessica? We’re all miserable here.”

“That’s what’s so funny. See, I thought you were getting your fix by sharing lunch with the kid.”

“I assume there’s a ‘but’ somewhere.”

“But… that’s not enough for you anymore! You’re not ill. You just need more of his baked treats like I do.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Believe me, son, I’ve been there. At first, I thought I was going to get the flu. Then I thought I was becoming clinically depressed. It took me a few days to realize that I just needed more cupcakes.”

“Are you even listening to yourself? I don’t know what the problem is, but there’s definitely something wrong with you.”

“Don’t be silly. Use your position to your advantage. Nobody’s got better access to the kid than you do. Fix yourself and then get the kid to fix the rest of us.”

“The last time I checked, he wasn’t a doctor of any kind.”

Jessica let out a sigh. “If you don’t believe me, just eat more of his muffins today and see if you feel better. Because you are going to feel much better.”

It was Harvey’s turn to sigh. “I can’t possibly care about that theory of yours, but I guess I could entertain you every once in a while.”

Then he stood up with a tiny bit of satisfaction about the fact that he now had a good excuse to have another muffin.

*****

Meanwhile, Mike was surrounded by his fellow associates who wanted more than their fair share. His colleagues had become greedy, so to be fair to everyone, Mike had to tell them that everyone could only have one cupcake or muffin per day. If they chose cookies, they could have up to three due to the size difference.

“Hey buddy, I’ve got two red-hot chicks on standby who will do anything for you anywhere anytime you want.” Kyle winked. “If you want a foursome, I can throw in another chick.”

“Jesus, Kyle.”

“Oh, you’re into guys then? I can find you someone that will suit your needs if you happen to be a size queen. And, someone who lives very close to this bakery if you just let me know where it is.” Gregory butted in.

Mike’s jaw dropped in disgust.

Then Harold announced, “I don’t know any hot guys or girls but I can give you myself! We can do it in whichever position you want. I’m more flexible than you think.”

“Oh gosh…”

Mike felt like he was going to be sick. So he excused himself and practically ran into Harvey’s office so that nobody else would bother him.

“Why are you running around like a terrified puppy?” Harvey lifted an eyebrow from his desk.

“Everybody’s gone insane! It’s just some cookies and cupcakes!” Mike threw his hands in the air and sank down in one of the chairs.

“Just tell them where the bakery is and stop getting hunted down.” Harvey offered.

Mike had had enough of this nonsense. This morning he had even overheard Rachel talk to Donna about getting someone from the IT department to check Mike’s internet search history without getting caught.

“It’s not a bakery…” Mike started.

Harvey looked up. He couldn’t believe that Mike was going to confess.

“It’s my grandmother.” Mike lied, knowing that his colleagues wouldn’t lock up a sick, old lady and make her bake. It was just too bad that Harvey knew it was a lie.

“I see.” Harvey decided to play along. If the kid wasn’t ready to tell, he wasn’t going to push him.

“You look awful by the way.” Mike noticed.

“Thanks. How very nice of you.” Harvey said, tongue-in-cheek.

Mike took a long look at Harvey’s face. He didn’t look feverish and he wasn’t coughing or sneezing. “Headache? A sore back or something?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“But you don’t look fine!”

Mike wondered if it was something psychological. Then he got a question that he couldn’t possibly let out of his mouth if he valued his life. If he asked Harvey whether he was going through a mid-life crisis, he was surely going to be thrown out of the window.

“Don’t you have work to do? Did I not give you enough?” Harvey dismissed his associate before he could get any ideas.

*****

Lunch time had finally arrived. Harvey could feel a contented sigh crawl up his throat as he saw Mike open his lunch bag. Those muffins somehow looked even tastier than the day before.

As usual, they started their lunch by discussing some of the details regarding the case that they were working on and moved onto chatting about baseball games and new movies.

“Since you don’t look too well, you should have _two_ muffins today. I insist!” Mike put two of his muffins on Harvey’s side of the coffee table.

“Well, since you insist…” Harvey hoped that he wasn’t reaching out for the muffins too quickly.

“By the way, I told everyone that it was my grandma.” Mike informed him.

“How did they take it?”

“Louis has started to write a poem for her and gosh, what is wrong with Harold? This morning he wanted to throw himself at me, and now, he wants to throw himself at grammy! He has no self-respect or basic human decency?”

Harvey found himself clenching his teeth. Nobody was going to throw himself at his associate. He sank his teeth into one of the muffins and chewed aggressively. His associate was getting too much attention from everyone when he was supposed to be focused on his work.

“Are you sure you’re all right, Harvey?” Mike asked somewhat worriedly. His boss was ravishing his muffins with alarming intensity.

‘Jesus, why can’t he ravish me like that?’ Mike thought and shook his head. He wasn’t going to dream about things that he would never get.

“Yeah, I feel better now,” was the unexpected answer that came out of Harvey’s mouth.

Harvey could practically hear Jessica’s annoying laughter roar in his ears. She was right; he did feel better after finishing his two muffins.

‘This is so not happening.’

He did not want to think about what he would have to do for Mike if he really had an addiction.

“Mmm, where do you get these pomegranates?” Mike asked.

Harvey could see his lips wrap around the fruit that oozed red liquid.

“Mmmph… this is so good, Harvey, so good.” Mike closed his eyes as he chewed on the seeds.

“You’ve got some on your chin.” Harvey pointed at Mike’s face where the red liquid had spilled from his mouth. Why couldn’t his associate eat a damn fruit properly?

“Hmm?” Mike was too far gone to care about his looks. Harvey really had the best pomegranates in town.

Harvey let out a long sigh and leaned forward. He was only doing this in case he had really developed an addiction to Mike’s treats. He would have to be nice to his associate if he wanted to survive this.

Mike snapped out of his dreamy state as he felt Harvey’s finger wipe the liquid off his chin.

‘Oh my god…’

He quickly looked down, trying not to recognize how warm and nice Harvey’s finger felt on his face.

 _Gulp._

“Harvey…” He didn’t know what to say but he knew that he wanted to call Harvey’s name.

“You’re all good, kid.”

Harvey pulled his hand back and busied himself cleaning up the coffee table.

 

*****

 

The next morning, an unthinkable disaster hit Pearson-Hardman.

“What?” Rachel looked at Mike with horror.

“What do you mean you don’t have any?” Harold was about to burst into tears.

“I’m sorry, guys. Grammy wasn’t feeling well so she couldn’t bake yesterday.” Mike made an apologetic face.

“So there are not even leftovers?” Gregory thought about jumping out of the window. His life had no meaning anymore.

“I only have a few muffins for lunch. Sorry.”

“Nooooo!” Some other associate cried out.

“Lie to me, Mike! Lie to me!!” Kyle shook him so hard that Mike got a little light-headed.

“I’m really sorry, guys. Let’s hope she gets better soon.”

Harold ran away, sobbing, and Gregory started to thump his head on the nearest wall. Mike could hear some other associate frantically tear sheets of paper and see some guys leave their cubicles with cigarettes in their hands.

“Is she getting the best care possible in the city?” Kyle asked. He was determined to make his savior get better as soon as possible.

“Yeah, she’s in very good hands.” Mike answered.

“If she ever needs a ride anywhere in the city, she has my number now.” Ray offered Mike his business card.

“Thanks, Ray. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.” Mike said, feeling a little guilty about lying this much.

Unfortunately he saw no other options. The madness had to stop. People were acting like hungry zombies around him and the last thing that he wanted to do was to feed their addiction. It was better to stop giving them what they wanted when they hadn’t completely lost their minds yet.

Besides, even if he wanted to bake, he was beyond exhausted. The fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about Harvey’s warm finger lingering on his chin didn’t help him either. He didn’t want to burn his hands by getting lost in his thoughts. Baking was serious business; it required his full concentration.

Mike finally shooed everyone with comforting words and sat down in his chair. His fingertip instinctively found the spot on his chin where Harvey had touched him. He was certain that he would remember this feeling even without an eidetic memory, but it was surely comforting to know that he would definitely not forget it.

‘Who would forget what it feels like to have Harvey’s hands on him anyway?’

Then Mike’s thoughts drifted onto those who had shared a bed with his boss. A pang of jealousy shot through his heart like an arrow. All those beautiful men and women that had landed on Harvey’s bed must have kissed him and touched him. They knew a part of Harvey that he would never get to know. They knew what kinds of sounds Harvey made when he was excited, what Harvey looked like when he was pushed over the edge. Mike had imagined numerous times what Harvey would look like in a blissful state, but he had no idea if that was what he really looked like.

‘Perhaps I could be one of his one-night stands and see for myself…’

Mike wondered if he was being a coward for not acting on his feelings. But why would someone like Harvey Specter want someone like him? And, as far as one-night standing was concerned, wasn’t it smarter to not start what he knew would be too addicting to stop? Even though he had never had any “Harvey” experience, he was certain that it would be something unforgettable.

‘It’s just like my baked goods. Look at all these people! I shouldn’t have started bringing cupcakes here!’

Then he thought about his neighbors who hadn’t reacted this insanely even when he had shared a lot of baked treats with them.

‘It’s probably the stress. These people get way too much stress and they need something sweet. Poor things.’

Mike shook his head and immersed himself in work. That was the only way that he could possibly stop thinking about his deadly boss.

*****

When Mike walked into his office at lunch with a smile on his face, Harvey wanted to strangle him and yell ‘How could you smile when you’ve caused this much chaos in the office?’ Pretty much everyone on the floor was on edge and Harvey had never seen Donna look so murderous during the past seven years that he had known her. But when Mike said, ‘Don’t worry. I still have your muffins’, he decided to be generous and let his associate live. Thanks to Harvey’s generosity, their lunch session went smoothly as usual.

“Don’t you just love your associate? You have no idea how hard it was to keep these muffins safe for you.” Mike chuckled as he opened his dessert box.

“Well, you’ll feel the same way about your boss who brought you two more pomegranates today.” Harvey proudly announced.

“Two more?” Mike gasped. “That’s great! We can have two each then!”

Harvey shook his head with a little smile. “I’ve already had mine for breakfast. You can have them all.”

“All four?” Mike’s smile was brighter than the sunshine tickling the carpet in the office.

He didn’t waste any time and proceeded to eat a slice. “Oh god, Harvey. Now that I’ve told you where I get my muffins, it’s only fair that you tell me where you get these.”

Harvey didn’t bother answering and kept his eyes on Mike. His lips had become impossibly red and shiny. Harvey thought that red was a good color on Mike; his associate had such fair skin.

“Oh, Harvey… This is killing me…”

Harvey wondered who on earth ate a pomegranate with his eyes closed, making all kinds of small noises. It was obvious that Mike showed a lot of passion when it came to eating fruit.

Much to his disappointment, Mike was managing to eat more tidily today. There was no red liquid leaving the red lips and running down the curved chin. But just when Harvey let his guard down, Mike started to suck on his fingers, trying to capture every single drop of the essence.

‘I cannot believe this.’

Harvey felt a slight burn in his system which he chose not to recognize.

“You’re sure you don’t want one?” Mike asked, his hand already reaching for another slice.

“I’ve got muffins.” Harvey picked up a muffin and started eating it. A good muffin could probably cure his burn.

Mike looked at Harvey eating his muffins in silence. He had been awfully quiet throughout lunch. Then he noticed that Harvey looked a little flushed.

‘Oh my god, he must be running a fever!’

“Do you want me to fetch you a wet cloth? Get you some cold medicine?” Mike asked.

Harvey met eyes with his associate. “What are you talking about?”

“I thought you had a fever or something.” Mike shrugged.

“I’m fine.” Harvey insisted.

“If you say so…”

Mike knew that he couldn’t force Harvey into anything, so even though he was quite sure of his diagnosis, he decided to get busy with his pomegranates again.

They ended up enjoying their dessert in utter silence; Harvey didn’t say a word and Mike didn’t make a sound which pissed off Harvey much more than he had expected. There was this awkward tension in the air and Mike thought that he would die due to lack of oxygen.

“Um, perhaps I should finish these later.” Mike got up and started to pack the left pomegranates.

Harvey snapped. Why was his associate being so difficult? “You’re not leaving this office until you’re done.”

Mike looked up, flinching at the harsh tone.

Harvey swallowed the last bits of his second muffin and explained, “I don’t want to go through what you’re going through. These are very exclusive pomegranates. I don’t want those zombies out there to get attached to these and bother me. The pomegranates are not leaving this office.”

Mike nodded and sat back down, enjoying another slice very quietly.

‘What! He’s suddenly lost his tongue? Doesn’t he know that when there are only two people in the room, one has to entertain the other? In this case, the lowly associate?’

Harvey hated the feeling that he had right now. It was hard to think straight and he did not want to think about the reason.

“Jesus, this is really good, Harvey…”

It was nice to see his associate finally grasp the basics of human interaction.


	4. Mike's gift

The first thing that Harvey did when he came home from work was to march into the kitchen. He did feel a little better after increasing his dose to two muffins but he now had other symptoms. He experienced hallucinations (he had kept eyeing the coffee table all afternoon, thinking that he saw a muffin out of the corner of his eyes) and nightmares (when he fell asleep for a minute or two at his desk, Mike was wearing nothing but an apron in his large kitchen and was bending over to pull out the baked goods from the oven).

Harvey dropped his suitcase and jacket on the kitchen counter and crouched in front of the oven. He had never really paid much attention to it even though he had used it several times. He ran his fingers along the handle, thinking about how Mike’s fingertips had danced on it.

‘What kind of a guy has such thin fingers? I bet he lied to me and actually took the test in drag.’

Harvey’s mind started to picture Mike baking muffins for him. He imagined Mike wearing nothing but a red apron, using his able fingers to make the most heavenly muffin that he had ever tasted. He did not know the process of baking muffins but he could damn well picture Mike sucking his fingers repeatedly. Mike was definitely the type of person who wouldn’t let anything good go to waste even if they were just little bits of ingredients left on his fingers.

‘Oh, Harvey… This is so good… so good…’

Bits and pieces of Mike’s words and his breathless voice filled his head.

‘Okay. I even hear things.’ Harvey added to his list of symptoms as he entered the walk-in closet.

‘Jesus… This is killing me, Harvey…’

The burn that he had felt at lunch became a little more intense as he got out of his clothes.

‘Maybe Mike was right. Maybe I do have a fever.’

Harvey took the last piece of garment off his body and walked into the bathroom. He needed a cold shower.

*****

The first thing that Mike did when he came back home was to rush into the kitchen too.

“I am losing my mind!!!” He yelled as he lost his jacket and tie and threw them on the floor. He even kicked his jacket a few times as if that was what stood between Harvey and him.

“Harvey…”

Mike sank down on the floor, leaning against the kitchen counter. He was utterly miserable. It was so very nice to have lunch with his boss every single day, but as he spent more time with Harvey, more hope crept into his fragile heart. If he didn’t stop himself soon, there was a good chance that he would do something worth getting fired for or get sued for sexual harassment.

“And he hasn’t even tasted my cupcakes when I bake cupcakes best! Urgh!!”

Frustration made him dizzy, so he took a moment to calm down. But of course, when he closed his eyes, his mind immediately came up with an image of Harvey getting a firm hold of his muffin and taking a bite with his gorgeous lips. Mike was quite sure that Harvey would have the ability to kiss someone to death.

‘What do I do? I’m stressed out! I want to bake!’

He had baked enough muffins yesterday (he couldn’t just bake two!) so there were plenty of them left to feed Harvey for the next couple of days.

Mike pondered for a second and went for the good, old solution; calling his grandmother.

“Grammy?” Mike was glad that she hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

“Mike? Why the sad voice, dear? What’s troubling you?”

Mike told her what had happened from the very beginning. He was careful not to go into details about what Harvey looked like when he had ravished his muffins.

“What should I do, Grammy? I’m so tired and miserable.” Mike knew that he sounded like a little boy.

“Mike, when I made you promise that you would live up to your potential, I didn’t mean that only in a professional way.”

“Oh…”

“You deserve to be happy, my dear. You deserve a chance to be happy with Harvey.”

“But I really don’t think he would return my feelings!”

“Honey, if he really devoured your muffins as you described, I think it’s safe to assume that he feels the same way about you.”

“Grammy!” Mike blushed furiously.

His grandmother laughed a little and gave him her words of wisdom. “If you want him to taste your cupcakes, get creative and bake cupcakes that he wouldn’t be able to refuse. You can throw in some hints so that he would realize that you’re the real baker behind the muffins and cupcakes.”

“Grammy, I think you’re a genius.” Mike would have clapped if he hadn’t needed one hand to hold the phone to his ear.

“Where do you think you got that giant brain of yours?” The grandmother snorted and Mike smiled. It was time to take the smart lady’s advice.

 

**********************************************************************************************************************

The next day, when he walked into the office, Harvey spotted a box on his desk.

He hit the intercom as he settled down in his chair. “Donna? What’s this on my desk? You’ve finally decided to poison me?”

“I’d actually prefer a more subtle method, Harvey. I’d probably go with poisoning your coffee rather than your mail.”

“I’m convinced. I guess it’s safe to open it then.”

“What? You think I’m the only one who wants to go after you? I’m flattered!”

Harvey chuckled a little and opened the box.

“What the…”

“What is it, Harvey?” Donna was intrigued by her boss’ surprised tone.

There were eight mini cupcakes neatly sitting inside the box. They all had a brown base with white frosting. Every single one of them had something that he liked on top; a large tie, hair gel, a baseball, a basketball, an LP record, TOM FORD, a sports car, and something that looked like a glass elevator.

“Harvey? Are you there?” Donna asked, wondering what was going on.

“Yeah, is Mike in yet?” Harvey couldn’t tear his eyes off the cupcakes.

“I think he’s down in the files room. You want me to bring him in?”

“It’s nothing urgent. Just send him in if you run into him. I’ll see him at lunch anyway.”

“You got it.”

*****

 _Tick-tick._

Mike was staring at the clock in the files room, fully aware that it was lunch time. He had been successfully hiding throughout the morning, but it was finally time to go up and meet his doom.

‘Oh god…’

He knew that he was being a drama queen. Harvey probably wouldn’t feed him to the sharks even if he found out about the truth. If there was a cage in Harvey’s office, he could always say that he had asked his grandmother to put on such decorations for Harvey. And, it’s not like he drew hearts on the cupcakes. They were just cupcakes, not some love confession, at least in Harvey’s eyes.

‘Then why am I so terrified?’ Mike asked himself.

It was because Harvey read people so well; he had the ability to read between the lines and had amazing deduction skills. Mike wouldn’t be too surprised if Harvey somehow already knew that he was the secret baker and that it was indeed a love confession.

 _Bleep._

“Jesus Christ!” The sound of his cell phone scared the life out of him.

Harvey had left him a text message.

 _Where are you? It’s lunch time. Get your muffins over here._

‘Oh sweet Jesus…’ Mike’s throat became really dry as he read the last sentence over and over again.

‘He couldn’t have possibly meant it that way, could he…?’

Mike finished whatever was left in the latest can of Red Bull and started packing his things. Harvey didn’t seem particularly angry or disappointed if the message was anything to go by. Maybe he was going to turn him down gently, telling him that it wasn’t appropriate for a senior partner and his associate to see each other.

‘I probably should keep my mouth shut and not mention the fact that I’ve already checked the bylaws.’

The Pearson-Hardman bylaws stated that fraternization between employees of different ranks was discouraged; but with the proper paperwork and solid evidence that the lower ranked employee wasn’t in the relationship under duress, it was permitted.

‘What kind of solid evidence do they need? Would I have to kiss Harvey in front of Jessica and the whole board?’ Mike wondered.

 _Bleep._

Harvey had sent him another message.

 _You have five minutes to get in here, or you’re fired. For real._

That was all Mike needed to shoot out of his seat.

*****

 _Knock-knock._

“Sorry I’m late. I didn’t realize it was already lunchtime.” Mike hurried to the couch.

“It’s fine. I like my associate working hard under me.”

 _Gulp._

Mike cursed himself for interpreting the words in a sexual way. Harvey somehow looked hotter than usual and Mike could feel his eyes watching his every move.

“How did you like the cupcakes?” He went straight to the point, without looking up. He busied himself opening his lunch box and getting his tumbler out. He wanted to end his suffering.

“They were delicious, thank you.”

“So you actually ate them?” Mike looked up. He hadn’t been sure if Harvey would even taste them. He didn’t seem to be a cupcake type of guy.

“That’s how it usually works, Mikey. You have to eat one to tell if it’s delicious or not.” Then Harvey realized with horror what he had just called his associate.

Judging by how Mike was gaping like a little fish, it was apparent that he had heard it too.

Harvey shrugged it off. It wasn’t a big deal. He could call Mike whatever he wanted. If rookie, kid, and puppy were allowed, why would Mikey be a problem?

“When you have your mouth open, it’s time to put something good in it, Mikey.”

Damn it! He did it again. What was wrong with him?

‘Brain-mouth coordination failure.’ Harvey added on his symptom list.

Meanwhile Mike was asking himself the same thing. ‘What is wrong with me? When Harvey said ‘something good’, he obviously meant food, you dirty, dirty mind!’

He took a deep breath and started eating his lunch. This was usually the part where they started to discuss their cases, but Harvey seemed to be pondering about some serious matter over his salad.

“Um… Harvey?” Mike thought that this was his chance to get the burden off his mind. He had been momentarily distracted by Harvey calling him so fluffily; Mikey sounded really nice on Harvey’s lips.

“What is it?”

“About the cupcakes… What do you think about the baker?” Mike tried to be brave.

Harvey aimlessly moved his fork around and gathered his thoughts. “I think he’s got some serious talent.”

Mike winced at the ‘he’. So Harvey knew that it wasn’t his grandmother.

“That’s all?” Mike ventured. Harvey had been the one person at work that he could tell everything. He didn’t want that to change.

Harvey snorted. “I think I have to send him my medical bills.”

“What! You got sick because of my cupcakes?” Mike bit his tongue but it was too late. He had fully admitted it.

Harvey took pity on the terrified soul. “To answer your question, no, I didn’t get sick because of your cupcakes. And, I suspected it was you from day one, Mike. You somehow manage to keep forgetting how well I read people, especially you.”

“Why especially me?”

“Because you have a lousy poker face. And, because you’re my puppy. I hired you with my own hands.”

“How did you know it was me then? I thought I was completely safe on day one.”

“Because you had that exciting look on your face when people told you the goods were great. That kind of look doesn’t appear on the face of a proud customer but on the face of a proud creator.”

“How can you possibly know that? You don’t bake.”

Harvey wanted to say ‘because that’s probably what I look like when someone tells me I have a great associate’ but he opted to give Mike a comforting smile instead.

“So are you going to lock me up and make me bake for you? Or are you going to tell Jessica?” Mike asked with unease.

“What kind of a person do you think I am?”

Mike relaxed visibly.

“You know I don’t like to share. Of course I’m going to lock you up and keep you for myself.” Harvey teased.

“I’m serious!”

“But you haven’t really seen the place where you’re going to be locked up. You might like it better than your place.”

Mike shook his head in disbelief. His boss could be a real child at times.

“I’m serious too. Tomorrow’s a Saturday but since we have a lot to do, why don’t you come by with the files and check out my kitchen? I have an oven that might suit your needs.” Harvey knew that Mike hadn’t seen him watch him fondle the oven.

“So you’re okay with having a male associate that has soft features and bakes?” Mike wanted to be clear.

“Sure. As long as you stay locked at my place.”

“Harvey!”

Harvey chuckled and Mike blushed, both of their minds filled with images that involved a cuffed Mike in Harvey’s closet.

*****

Mike was in the break room making a cup of coffee as he thought about how anti-climactic it had been to admit to Harvey that he was the baker.

‘But then, haven’t I had enough drama in my life? How much more do I want?’

He grabbed his mug and headed back to his cubicle, only to find Harold waiting for him.

“Oh, Mike! You’re back! I’ve got something for you.”

Mike wished that he didn’t have good instincts because his instincts had just told him that he was going to face something unforgettable.

“What is it, Harold? I already told you Grammy’s not interested in you in any kind of way.”

“I got it. So I’m going back to impressing you.” Harold said eagerly. “Please take a look and tell me if you like what you see.”

Mike sat on his chair and took a deep breath before accepting a bunch of pictures.

“Good lord!! What is this?” Mike turned away from the picture of a guy who seemed like Harold wearing some kinky lingerie.

“Ah, I was worried that might not be your kink. I’ve prepared other styles too if you’d just get to the next picture.”

“Harold, for the last time, I am just like my Grammy! NOT INTERESTED. I’m sorry!”

Harold made a sad face and went back to his cubicle with his pictures.

Mike felt horrible. He liked Harold all right but he didn’t like him in that way! He was stressed out and he needed to bake. He reminded himself to take enough ingredients to Harvey’s place tomorrow so he could bake all he wanted.

‘What is this?’

That was when Mike spotted a booklet on his desk. It was a collection of poems with a title ‘The Great Creator’ and the poet’s name was… Louis Litt.

‘Unbelievable. And, I thought these people actually thought with their brains, not with their stomachs! I can’t believe Louis wrote more poems for Grammy!’

In an attempt to avoid any other worrying gifts, he escaped into Rachel’s office.

“Rachel, please let me hide in here.” He begged as soon as he closed the glass door.

“Someone’s after you? Why don’t you go hide in Harvey’s office?” Rachel looked up.

Mike wished that he could tell her that Harvey looked too hot and gorgeous these days for him to stay in his office and keep his hands to himself.

“He wouldn’t let me.” Mike sat down in a chair.

“Well, if you’re going to hide here, you’ll have to do something for me.” Rachel’s eyes shined with excitement and hope.

“I’m not going to make my poor old grandmother bake cookies for you.” Mike made himself clear.

“You might want to change your mind after you try these sensational mini-burgers.”

Rachel opened a paper bag and offered two mini-burgers that looked really tasty in Mike’s eyes. He was a lowly associate in a bad-ass firm; he was always hungry.

“Rachel, you can’t bribe me with burgers. You know how much I like them…” Mike was already feeling a little weak. Perhaps Harvey could share his muffins with Rachel. But then he knew that Harvey didn’t like to share.

“Just try them, will you?” Rachel spoke with her softest voice.

Mike hesitated. He didn’t want his friend to get addicted to his baked treats again, but those burgers looked really tasty.

“Mike?”

Mike bolted out of the office with the burgers in his hands, headed to the rooftop. He wasn’t going to give in to her that easily.

*****

Meanwhile Harvey was busy dealing with his own briber.

“I said no.” He stomped his mental foot on the ground.

“Why not? Then you can have him on Sunday too.” Donna compromised.

Harvey looked at her in disbelief. His secretary had just suggested that Mike could be locked up at his place during four days of the week and then at her place for the remaining days of the week.

“Isn’t it nice that I share every little office secret with you thanks to our broken intercom button?” Donna beamed, thinking that not fixing the button was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She got to learn who baked those cupcakes!

Harvey let out a small sigh and opened the cupcake box.

“Pick two. And, obviously, nobody’s locking up Mike.” He swallowed the ‘y’ at the end.

“Only two? You have five left! Can I pick three?”

“Two means two, Donna, not three.”

Donna chose the LP record one and the baseball one. Then her eyes glinted with joy and delight. “I see what’s going on here, Harvey.”

“Please don’t tell me and leave.” Harvey picked up his pen to get back to work.

“You’re saving these cupcakes because he baked them for you! Did you divide them into six pieces and eat a piece every ten minutes?”

“Get out with the cupcakes _now_.” Harvey growled. He couldn’t wait for the torturous day to be over.


	5. Harvey's dessert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT WARNING: This chapter contains cheesy, dirty baking talk (all thanks to our baker!) so I'll have to warn you that it's rated M. Since this update is very embarrassing, I'll be hiding inside Harvey's big oven.

The next day Harvey was still growling; this time it wasn’t in his office but in his kitchen. He and Mike had been working for hours in Harvey’s living room and had just enjoyed some order-in Chinese food for lunch. Now Mike was making dessert in the kitchen, wearing the red apron (the one that he had ordered through Donna last night) that had featured in Harvey’s dream while Harvey was watching from the kitchen table.

“Mmm… this is really good butter.” Mike spoke to himself as he licked the remaining butter off his left thumb.

Harvey watched as the tongue moved smoothly around the fingertip and then saw Mike smack his lips.

‘Damn it.’

Harvey’s mind wandered off to the obscene images of Mike eating a pomegranate; his eyes closed shut, an illegal sound filling the office, and those pretty red lips firmly around the core of the fruit. Then his mind focused on what was going on right now in front of his eyes. Mike was humming a silly song, looking adorable, blue eyes shining with what looked like happiness.

‘Why is he looking at the stupid eggs like that? Does he have a thing for pretty hens? First it was the damn oven, and now it’s those damned eggs.’

Harvey rubbed his face in annoyance. He hadn’t slept well thanks to a lowly associate wriggling his muffins in his dream, and it was now taking its toll when he needed superhuman self-restraint to have some dessert.

‘I know better than to jump my own associate. I’m only going to taste his muffins, and that’s it.’ Harvey told himself as he crossed his legs in case he had to hide something between them. He liked to be prepared.

“I’m baking you chocolate chip muffins, Harvey.”

“Sounds good.”

“You’re going to love them.” Mike grinned.

“I’m sure I will.”

Harvey didn’t have enough brain cells left to have a witty conversation with his associate as the latter bent over to gather some materials that had fallen to the floor.

‘Jesus Christ, where did he get those tight jeans? Are they even his size? How did he even put them on in the first place?’

Clumsy as ever, Mike had dropped a lot of things on the floor which increased the amount of time that Harvey’s eyelids had to stay open to capture every single moment of the show.

“Good. Now let’s preheat the beautiful oven.”

Mike gently grabbed the handle of the oven door and smiled. The oven felt so right in his hands and he wished that he could bake with an oven like this for the rest of his life.

“You really have a great oven, Harvey. You should know that.” Mike told him, his hand and eyes still lingering on the oven. It was a thing of beauty, really.

‘That’s enough.’

Something snapped inside Harvey. It felt like the dam had collapsed. An alarming amount of emotion rushed into him, making him dizzy.

‘You are _not_ going to touch something like that.’

Harvey stood up and took a few steps towards the oven. He yanked his associate off the disgusting object with so much force that he pretty much flew towards the table.

Mike winced a little as he rubbed his lower back. “I’m sorry! I should’ve asked your permission before laying a hand on the oven.”

“That’s not the problem.” Harvey gritted his teeth as he grabbed Mike by the front of his T-shirt and pulled him close.

“Then what’s the problem?!” Mike shrieked as air was sucked out of his system. Harvey wasn’t choking him by pulling him close; he was just breathless because of Harvey’s glare. He had had no idea that an angry Harvey could turn him on so much.

“You. It’s always been you. From the minute I hired you, it’s been you.”

Mike wanted to protest that he had actually been helpful in numerous cases, but Harvey pushed him against the kitchen table and the only thing that he could do was to lay his back on the hard surface.

Harvey appreciated how Mike leaned back in one fluent motion. The kid was definitely flexible. Harvey closed the remaining distance and completely pressed himself against his associate from waist to ankle. They fit as if they were a mold for each other.

“Harvey! Harvey…” Mike shook his head, unable to control the sensations that kept sweeping him over and over again. He was going to lose his mind.

Harvey flinched. The kid was shaking his head. Did he not want this? Then why did he wear impossibly tight jeans in the first place?

“If you want a way out, this is the time to speak up. Otherwise I’m going to fix the problem.” Harvey made himself clear.

Mike nodded. He understood.

“I don’t think you’re paying attention to what I’m saying, Mikey. I’m offering you a way out here. I will have you my way if you don’t say the word now.” Harvey’s growl was so low that Mike thought that he could reach a state of ecstasy just with his voice.

Mike looked up into Harvey’s darkened eyes. He had already made up his mind the moment that Harvey had grabbed him with so much feeling. So he wore his cockiest smile, hoping that his boss would be dying to wipe it off his face. Then to be loud and clear, he hooked his left leg around Harvey’s waist.

“There is no place I would rather be. So what are you waiting for? Have me your way.”

Harvey put his hands on both sides of Mike’s head and looked down with a predatory glare. “I’m not going to stop once I’ve started. Last chance, puppy.”

Mike figured that it was time to go all in. “Please Harvey… have me whichever way you want… I’ve wanted this for so long. I’ve dreamed about this for so long. Take me, Harvey…”

Harvey let go of the last thread of sanity and dived forward.

As the hungry lion went for the dessert, Mike closed his eyes, thinking that it was very appropriate of them to have this interaction in none other than the kitchen.

*****

“Oh gosh…”

Sitting up on the table, Mike looked around the kitchen, admiring the mess that they had made. Eggs and chocolate chips were all over the floor, and a used condom was sitting prettily in the abandoned baking bowl. His grey T-shirt was nicely torn in the front, thrown in a corner; Harvey had literally ripped the clothes off him.

“Ahahaha…”

“What’s so funny?” Harvey lifted his gaze. He was basking in the blissful post-coital glow, resting his head on Mike’s lap.

“I can’t believe you used butter as lube!”

Harvey shrugged. “You said it was really good butter.”

“And, you cut my jeans with kitchen scissors!”

Harvey let out a disapproving groan. “They were too tight and wouldn’t come off with the bulge in front.”

“I liked those jeans!”

“I’ll buy you new ones. They weren’t even your size.”

“Now I have nothing left to wear home!” Mike chuckled, happy that Harvey had been aroused enough to destroy his clothes. His socks had landed in the sink with dirty dishes so the boxers on the stove were the only survivor.

“You don’t need clothes. You’re not going anywhere.” Harvey stated.

“You’re not really going to lock me up, are you?” Mike ran his hands through Harvey’s hair; without the gel, it was incredibly soft.

“I think I should. I told you I liked my associate working hard under me.” Harvey lifted his hand and pinched one of Mike’s muffins.

Then he sat up and gave Mike a soft kiss before getting off the table. “Now that you’ve got a kiss, you’ll be a good boy and clean up the mess.”

“But you always say that a puppy can’t clean up its own mess.” Mike grinned.

“If you have enough brain cells left to talk back, perhaps we need another round of dessert.” Harvey suggested, grabbing the red apron and tying it behind his puppy’s waist.

Mike got off the table, careful not to step on the eggs and slip. He didn’t want to end up in the hospital with a concussion when he had just been promised another round of interaction with his hot boss.

“So this is your kink? Me wearing nothing but an apron?” Mike turned around and wriggled his hips just like in Harvey’s dream.

Harvey resisted the urge to pinch his associate again. When did he become such a dirty boss?

“I want my muffins.” Harvey announced like a petulant child. He knew that he would be calmer once he had his fix.

Mike chuckled as he got down on his knees and started to rub the floor with a wet cloth. “You’ll have to wait, Harvey. You yanked me off the oven before I even put the muffins in.”

“I’m not big on waiting so I’ll go fill up the Jacuzzi,” Harvey offered. The idea of sitting in warm water was very welcoming after a bad night’s sleep, a few hours of hard work, and a stimulating dessert.

“You’re not going to stay around and ogle me?” Mike’s face fell.

Harvey laughed. “No need to be disappointed, Mikey. I’m going to do more than ogle you when join me in the Jacuzzi.”

“Like what?” Mike was eager to know what his boss had in mind.

Harvey didn’t say a word but slowly licked his lips, making his kiss-swollen lips all shiny.

“Oh God…” Mike swallowed as he pictured Harvey’s tongue running up and down his body.

“So you better hurry up or I’ll have fun all by myself.”

Harvey walked towards Mike for a quick kiss and left the kitchen. He could hear his puppy frantically rub the messy floor. His puppy was cleaning up his own mess; he was growing up.

*************************************************************************************************************************************

 

“Morning, Donna.”

“Morning, Harvey.”

“Had a good weekend?”

“Sure. You?”

“Likewise.”

Donna looked up with a sharp glance as she realized that her boss was in a great mood. Even though Harvey was a morning person, he was never in a great mood before eight o’clock in the morning. So the look on his face could only mean that…

“Oh my god, Harvey!” She couldn’t keep the joy out of her voice as she stepped into the office.

“Do not ruin my mood, Donna.” Harvey warned her as he took off his jacket.

“If I ruin it, I’ll send in Mike and make him do whatever he did to you!” Donna beamed, noticing how Harvey was reliving his weekend in his mind.

“Is he able to come to work today? Can he still bike? Did you behave and give him enough time to rest?” Questions came pouring out of her mouth.

“Is that a way to talk to your boss?” Harvey raised an eyebrow.

“I’m speaking as a friend! I’m so excited that my boys have finally opened their eyes!”

“I’m not your boy, Donna. I’m your boss.”

“No big difference.” Donna waved off his comment and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’m so happy for you. Oh, I hope Mike forgives me for this.”

“He doesn’t seem to be possessive.” Harvey reassured her.

“Unlike you?”

Harvey shoots her a dangerous glare as if to tell her ‘Don’t go there.’ But Donna being Donna, she takes it as an invitation to exactly go there. “Come on, Harvey. You didn’t want to share the cupcakes he baked with his gentle, creative hands.”

Harvey shook his head and decided to keep Donna busy. “I need you to do something for me.”

“You want me to run to the drug store and stock up supplies for you? Then send Mike in here and pull down the blinds?” Donna smiled devilishly.

“Such a lady, aren’t you?”

Harvey made her sit and told her about his plan to help Mike open a bakery near the firm. As much as he wanted to keep Mike in his kitchen for eternity, the world deserved to experience his baked treats.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Harvey. People will finally leave him alone and it would reduce the stress about his little secret.” Donna whispered towards the end.

“Nothing’s going to happen to him. But if he accidentally spills his secret, he can always threaten Jessica to move the bakery next to one of our rival firms.” Harvey agreed.

Donna smiled. She liked that her bigger boy was taking care of her younger one. ‘This must be the pleasure of raising boys.’

“I’ll see if I can find a good spot for his bakery.” She said modestly as she stood up.

“I know you’ll find the perfect spot.” Harvey gave her a thankful smile and offered her a small box.

“What is it?” Donna could feel her heartbeat speed up. “Is this what I think it is??”

“Open it and see for yourself. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to be discreet. Eat them where there are no security cameras, or the IT guys will be all over you.”

Donna opened the box of cupcakes and fell in love with those delicious heartbreakers all over again. “Do you mind if I kiss Mike till he passes out?”

“You do that and the bakery will be built upon your tomb.”

Donna nodded and thought that whoever dared to lay a hand on her cupcakes should get the same treatment.

Harvey watched as she walked back to her area like a ninja and got back to work.

*****

“Harvey…”

Mike was making pretty sounds on the bed while the owner of the bed claimed his neck with little love bites. Harvey had invited him over for dinner and was now going after the dessert.

“Turn around. It’s time for muffins.” Harvey gave Mike some space so that he could lie on his stomach.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You want to ask me something when we’re in bed?” Harvey asked incredulously as he put two pillows under Mike to lift his muffins.

“But it’s related to what we’re about to do!” Mike insisted.

“Fine. Ask away.” Harvey decided to use the opportunity to get the supplies ready.

“Um… this is a little embarrassing but if those are my muffins, what are my cupcakes?” Mike shoved his face into the pillow to hide his blush. It was a stupid question but he was curious!

Harvey was amused. Apparently Mike was into dirty baking talk.

Mike felt Harvey tickle his balls and before he could stop it, the next question left his mouth, “My cookies…?”

Harvey flipped him over and sucked on the buds on his chest.

“Oh god… I can’t believe this cheesy stuff is turning me on!” Mike’s blush spread to his neck and ears.

“I always pegged you as someone who had poor taste in porn.”

Mike wanted to protest but Harvey had flipped him back and was licking his muffins. “Jesus fucking Christ, Harvey…”

“Don’t get so excited yet. I like to have some chocolate on my muffins.”

Mike was about to ask him what he meant but he found out soon enough when Harvey squeezed chocolate syrup on both of his muffins. “Oh my dear lord…”

While Mike writhed helplessly in anticipation, Harvey took a moment to admire the view. The dark syrup looked fantastic on Mike’s fair skin. The syrup was running down his hips and thighs, making him the perfect dessert.

“I shouldn’t skip gym anymore. So much dessert.” Harvey said as he took a bite.

“Harvey!” Mike arched his back. He felt as if he was on an expensive silver platter on Harvey’s table.

“Patience. I’ve only had one bite.”

Mike couldn’t believe that this was happening. He got the burden of the secret off his chest, destructively hot kitchen sex, a plan for a bakery, and gets eaten by his kinky boss all in one week? How could he not love his life?

“Oh my god, if you don’t stop right now, things are going to get really embarrassing.” Mike warned his boss who was tracing the chocolate streams with his tongue.

“If you be a good boy and let me finish, you’ll get your pomegranate.”

“Hmm?” Mike was too busy bringing himself back to Earth to understand the riddle.

“You know the deal, Mike. My pomegranate for your muffins.”

Mike gathered the remaining brain cells and called an urgent meeting. ‘His pomegranate? What is his pomegranate?’

Then it hit him like a brick. There was only one part of a male body that hadn’t been mentioned earlier.

“Oh Harvey… Please…” He opened his legs wider, hoping that the gourmet would soon put him out of his sensational misery.

“You bake very nice muffins, Mikey. These are the best I’ve ever had. The texture is spongy. I love it.” Harvey had to make a conscious effort not to laugh at his own words. He would have to google some dirty baking metaphors for the future if they turned on Mike this much.

“Thank you, Harvey…” Mike was a polite boy even under such harsh circumstances.

Harvey could tell that his associate was doing his absolute best not to lose his mind.

“Tell me what you want, Mike. I’m almost done.”

“I… can’t talk…”

Harvey stopped licking the spot where Mike’s thighs started. “Tell me.”

Mike took a deep breath so that he could come up with a full sentence, “Devour me, Harvey, just like you did in the kitchen.”

“You want me to use butter again?”

“I think the syrup took care of that.” Mike’s face burned as if he was in an oven.

Harvey chuckled. He found it both cute and hot that Mike was blushing so much while he looked so obscene.

“Harvey!! I can’t wait any longer!”

“All right, all right. I’m on it.”

Harvey chuckled one last time and worked on his dessert.


	6. Mike's bakery

When Jessica gathered all the employees, people were wondering what was going on.

“Are we finally getting that raise?” Harold asked.

“You want a tattoo that much?” Gregory shook his head.

“Shh, she’s here.” Kyle hushed them as Jessica took the stage.

“Good morning, everyone. Today I’d like to introduce you to a very exciting employee’s benefit.”

“It has to be a raise!” Harold was certain.

“Can you zip it so we can hear what she says?” Kyle snapped. Ever since Mike had stopped bringing in pieces of heaven, he had been on edge.

Jessica brought Mike up to the stage and started to explain, “I’m sure you all remember the baked treats that Mr. Ross used to offer you.”

“Yes, we love his grandmother very much!” Harold shouted, feeling brave. It was one of his withdrawal symptoms.

“Well, it turns out that the baker was Mr. Ross himself. I’m sure you can understand that he felt the need to protect himself.”

“What!!”

“It was him all along?”

Several employees turned visibly pale. The shock was too much. All sorts of scenarios were running inside their minds; most of them involving an abduction of the baker.

Jessica nodded at Donna who brought in the paramedics for those who needed medical attention.

“Unbelievable.” Harvey frowned as he kept his hands in his pockets to keep himself from murdering them with his bare hands. Nobody was going to abduct his boy.

“If I can have you attention back, Mr. Ross is sorry about lying to you, so he has something to offer, which I’m sure will please you immensely.”

“We just want the cupcakes!” Harold was brave again.

It was time for Mike to speak. “I’m really sorry, guys. I was flattered that so many people liked what I baked, but at some point, it became too much. I usually bake to get rid of some of the stress, and having to bake so much for you guys was just giving me more stress. I’m sorry.”

Jessica shushed the protests and let Mike finish.

“So as an apology, I am willing to offer all of you a 10 percent discount for anything you purchase from my bakery.”

“Where is the bakery?”

“Is it 24/7? Please tell me it is!”

“Does it deliver?”

Questions flooded the room so Jessica had to shush them again. “If you will kindly let Mr. Ross finish, he will have a Q&A session shortly.”

“Will he have an autograph session too?”

“A biography, maybe?”

“A cookbook?”

At this point, Harvey had to feel more pride than anger. His puppy was already a genius, a caring person, and a good lawyer. The fact that he even baked so well and had good taste in men swelled Harvey’s heart with undeniable pride and affection.

Harvey looked up at the stage and saw Mike answer questions from eager fans. He was just about to turn around and get back to his office when Louis walked up to him.

“How long did you know?” The shorter man narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not going to answer that on the grounds that I don’t want to.”

Louis huffed. “I’m serious! You knew I was dying and you still didn’t tell me? Two cupcakes would’ve easily saved my life!”

“Geez, Louis, I know you appreciate the dramatic aspect of life, but seriously, dying?”

“I was dying, okay? I was having hallucinations! I was even hearing things!”

Then Harvey realized that all of his symptoms had gone away ever since he had admitted his feelings for the baker… which meant that other people who had tasted his goods might have feelings for him too.

‘Shit.’

He lifted his gaze and saw people hanging onto Mike’s every word.

“I don’t mean to be rude but do you happen to be single?”

A pretty secretary asked and Mike looked over at Harvey. He wasn’t sure if it was okay to expose their relationship even though he had checked the firm’s bylaws and knew that it was legally all right.

“Um… I’m seeing someone.” Mike answered, figuring that it would be all right as long as he didn’t mention that it was someone from work.

“Anyone we know?” Another female voice inquired and that was when Mike realized that Harvey was headed to the stage.

“Uh… I can’t…”

Mike didn’t have time to finish the sentence as Harvey yanked him down by the tie and kissed him.

‘Oh god…’

Mike closed his eyes and wondered if it was appropriate to kiss a senior partner in front of the whole firm. He could hear all sorts of reactions from the crowd.

“Get a room!”

“Way to go, Ross!”

“Why can’t I have an associate like that?”

When Harvey ended the kiss, Mike couldn’t help but feel that it was way too short. He watched Harvey walk out of the room with a possessive glow and thought that it was one of the hottest things that he had ever seen.

“Uh… I guess you just saw who I’m going out with. Anyway, thanks for your attention and I’ll see you around.”

Mike jumped off the stage and left before he would get bombarded with personal questions.

*****

An hour later, Harvey was called into Jessica’s office, knowing exactly what to expect.

“I know what you’re going to say.”

“Really? You knew I was going to give you three pro bono cases?”

“You’re giving me pro bono cases because I didn’t tell you his secret?” Harvey sat in front of her and crossed his legs.

“How could you not tell me, Harvey? After all we’ve been through!”

“You never told me you were married, so why should I tell you someone else’s secret?”

“Harvey!”

“What was I supposed to do? Throw him to the hungry zombies? I’m his boss. I did what I had to do.”

“What do you think we would’ve done to him? Lock him up in the basement with an oven?”

“Jessica, you tested his cupcakes for drugs. I had a perfectly good reason to do what I did.”

Jessica threw her hands in the air. “Fine. You’re wrong about one thing though.”

“I’m never wrong, so please enlighten me.” Harvey said with utter disinterest.

The managing partner smiled knowingly. She never thought that she would get to enjoy such a moment.

“Just say it, Jessica. It irritates me when you smile like that.” Harvey was getting annoyed.

“You weren’t acting like his boss, Harvey. You were acting like his boyfriend.” She couldn’t hide her wide smile.

“What.”

“You heard me. You wanted to protect your _boyfriend_.” She was having so much fun.

“Boyfriend.” Harvey repeated. For some reason, he had never thought of his assistant that way.

“Well, he’s your boyfriend, isn’t he? Or are you planning to use him and throw him away?”

“I don’t throw away people.”

Jessica’s smile got wider. “Good! I think it’s a good thing. Well, at least for you. I’ll have to talk to Ross and see if he’s handling all the stress coming from working for you and then dealing with you outside the office too.”

“You don’t need to talk to him. He’s fine.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Jessica handed over some paperwork and two pro bono cases. “I’ll go easy on you since you were just protecting your boyfriend. And, these are the paperwork required for matters like this. Take care of them till the end of the week, or I’ll assume that you’re using him as your personal baker and god knows what else.”

“I’m taking only one case, and it’s not up for discussion.”

Jessica studied him for a moment. “Fine. But do _not_ hand it over to Ross. He should not pay for your sins.”

“I didn’t commit any sins.”

“Letting someone nearly die by withholding vital information is a sin.”

“How dramatic.” Harvey shook his head and got up. He couldn’t wait to get back to his office where he would be alone with nobody accusing him.

As soon as he walked into his office, Harvey’s taste buds did a manly dance at the sight of a cupcake box on the desk.

‘Oh Mike…’

Mike had baked a lot of different things these few days, getting ready for the bakery, and apparently cupcakes had been one of them.

‘Let’s take a look.’

Harvey opened the box and looked at the decorations. There was a torn T-shirt, a kitchen table, a stick of butter (there wasn’t enough space to write so it had ended up as ‘BUTT’), kitchen scissors, a Jacuzzi, two pillows, chocolate syrup, and a pomegranate.

‘What a nice way to relive those moments.’ Harvey thought as he picked up the one with a stick of butter.

‘Oh, Mikey…’

He felt like the cupcake was even more delicious than usual. Perhaps he should ask Jessica to test this one.

‘I should express my gratitude, shouldn’t I?’ Harvey pondered as he finished the cupcake. The only thing that could possibly taste better than this would be the baker himself.

He fumbled through the drawers and found a small piece of paper. (Harvey Specter didn’t tear a piece of paper to make it small.) Then he scribbled a few words on it and got up from his seat. He could already picture Mike’s excited face.

*****

When Mike returned from the copy room, there was a folded note on his desk.

‘Oh please, I really hope it’s not another creepy love note or a question about the bakery.’

As much as he enjoyed having adoring fans, he wasn’t used to dealing with them.

‘I just wish it’s not from Harold again. Why does he want an additional 5 percent discount? I guess he was telling the truth about paying too much for his rent.’

Mike opened the note and started to read it.

‘Oh my god…’

 _Thanks for the cupcakes. Romance at its best.  
\- Your boyfriend_

He recognized Harvey’s handwriting. His heart beat as if it was going to run out of his chest and fly into Harvey’s arms.

‘Did he use the word ‘romance’? Seriously? And the word ‘boyfriend’? Both on a same note? He’s trying to kill me!’

Then he realized that there was a P.S. under the signature.

 _P.S. How do you feel about coming undone in a glass elevator?_

‘He’s definitely trying to kill me!’ Mike concluded. There was no other explanation.

He quickly wrote a reply on a Post-it and put it inside the brief that Harvey needed. Then he hurried towards Harvey’s office with the brief in his hand.

‘Oh, I feel like a silly schoolgirl. No offense to schoolgirls, of course.’

Before he met Harvey Specter, he was a nobody who cheated on exams to make a living. After he met Harvey Specter, he was known as the new senior partner’s boy with a freakish brain. Then today, he had become Mike Ross, the soon-to-be owner of an amazing bakery who had Harvey Specter as his boyfriend.

‘I have to say it does sound pretty nice.’

Donna let him in so he rushed in, left the brief on the desk, and rushed out before Harvey would come back. He would have to work hard for his boss and work harder under his boyfriend, but he wasn’t going to complain. He had stopped stress-baking in the last couple of days. He was now happy-baking.

 

***********************************************************************************************************************

 

 _Six months later…_

Mike was pacing back and forth in the living room, looking down at his notes. His bakery was going to launch a new menu -a pomegranate muffin- and he was supposed to deliver a short speech in front of the fans and media.

“Relax, Mikey. We both know you learned the speech by heart the minute you wrote it.” Harvey said as he enjoyed his morning coffee on the couch. He was ready to go with a three-piece suit on him and enough gel on his hair.

“I’m not worried about the speech. I’m worried about the muffin.” Mike said, still in his towel.

“Well, walking around like a puppy that needs to use the bathroom is not going to sell muffins.”

Mike groaned and sank down on the couch. He had moved in with Harvey a few months ago and Harvey had let him choose a new couch that was bigger and even more comfortable. Mike recalled the older man saying that he should choose the couch since it was usually Mike’s back that ended up on it.

“Harvey?”

“Hmm?” Harvey was busy reading the paper.

“Thank you.” Mike smiled. He knew that Harvey actually wanted him to pick some new furniture to make him feel like it was his home too.

“For last night?”

Mike’s face immediately turned into the color of a pomegranate. Sex with Harvey was always mind-blowing but last night had been earth-shattering. Mike was amazed at his recovering ability; eight hours ago, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to walk today. It was probably the rush of adrenaline.

“I’m so glad today’s a Saturday.” Mike let out a sigh of relief.

“So we can repeat the performance?” Even though he was still reading the paper, he could feel Mike blush all over again.

“Aren’t you even a little bit tired? I can’t believe we pretty much ran a marathon last night!”

“We had to burn off a lot of calories, didn’t we? And, there’s a reason why we bought all that gym equipment.”

A month ago, Harvey had set up a mini-gym in one part of the living room. He had told Mike that he didn’t want to smell other people’s sweat anymore, but Mike suspected that there was another reason. He remembered the short period of time when he had signed up for the gym in the building; Harvey was in a good mood when they worked out together, but on the rare occasions that Mike had gone to the gym alone, Harvey had been furious.

One day, Mike had asked him if he was jealous of other guys seeing him covered in sweat and even though Harvey denied it, he could tell that he had found the spot that hurt. Knowing better than to press until it hurt more, Mike had dropped the issue and had started to work out in their living room under Harvey’s piercing eyes. It goes without saying that they christened all of the equipment. Anything new that came through the door got marked by Mike.

“I think I need a kiss.” Mike turned to his left to face his boyfriend.

“You already got your morning kiss.” Harvey flipped through the pages until he found the sports section.

“I think I need an encouraging kiss. Don’t you think my tongue needs a little warm up so I won’t get tongue-tied in front of all those people?”

Harvey put down the paper and faced the promising baker. He loved how Mike looked in the morning; freshly out of the shower and heart still unhurt by the events of the day.

“Come here.” Harvey patted his lap.

Mike climbed on his lap and sighed as he felt Harvey’s lips on his. His hands instinctively curled around Harvey’s neck while the latter had his hands firmly around Mike’s waist. The kiss was long and lazy. Mike moved his tongue along Harvey’s, enjoying the scent of coffee in the warm mouth. But just when he was about to deepen the kiss, he felt Harvey pull back.

“Harvey…” He whined.

“We don’t want you too excited, kid. You’ll need enough energy to launch the product.”

Mike’s whine got even louder. “I think it’s a little late for that.”

Harvey lowered his gaze and had to laugh.

“It’s not funny!”

“Why, Mikey, I knew I was a good kisser but I didn’t know I was that good.” Harvey chuckled.

“You know what? I’ll take care of it on my own if you’re not willing to.” Mike got up from Harvey’s lap, only to be pulled back down.

“Lie back and relax. We’ll have to make this quick.”

Harvey took the towel off his boyfriend and got down to work.

*****

Harvey sent Mike in with his publicist while he took a moment outside the bakery to enjoy the occasion. It had only been six months but the bakery was truly beloved. Mike had to hire more bakers to keep up with the increasing demands and was planning to open a new branch near their condo. The lawyers at Pearson-Hardman always recommended the bakery to their clients, which was no doubt a huge boost for business. There were no words to describe how proud Harvey was to see Mike do well as a brilliant lawyer and also as a passionate businessman.

The bakery was named ‘Bread buttered on both sides’ which reminded Harvey of all those days and nights when he had buttered up his favorite dessert. Of course, to everyone else’s eyes, it was just a nice, long bakery name.

“What are you looking so smug about?” Donna stood next to Harvey, looking at the long line of customers.

Harvey ignored the question and looked at the basket on Donna’s arm. “What’s that for? You know they give out shopping bags.”

“I don’t trust shopping bags. You can easily have the goods stolen. Look at this.” Donna showed him a lock at one end of the wooden basket.

“You need airtight security to deliver some bread back home?” Harvey didn’t even want to know where she had found a basket with a lock.

“Better safe than sorry!” She pulled Harvey’s arm and walked into the bakery.

Harvey could see that Mike had already gathered people under the ‘newest product’ sign and had started to promote his new muffin. His publicist was handing out brochures that read ‘When the pomegranate meets the muffin.’

Harvey snorted, memories flooding his mind again.

“You’re not going to get closer and listen to his speech?” Donna asked, picking up two boxes of cranberry cookies.

“Nah, I’ve heard it at least a dozen times. I don’t get why he’s been so nervous. If people don’t like them, I could always sell them to the nearest aliens.” Harvey groaned. He sometimes felt that Mike didn’t fully realize just how good of a lawyer he was.

“No need for the aliens. The lowly associates are always up for snack.” Donna said as she moved to the cupcake area.

Harvey followed her like a shadow and noticed that ‘Mike’s moist muffins’ and ‘Cute creamy cupcakes’ were selling very well.

“There’s that smug look again.” Donna pointed out. “Please don’t tell me you’re associating these treats with something dirty. That’s just wrong.”

When Harvey didn’t deny it and the look on his face only got smugger, she let out a sigh. “Great. Now I won’t be able to eat his creamy cupcakes for a while.”

“Too bad. I had some right before we left. They practically melt on my tongue.” Harvey grinned and left Mike a text message before stepping out of the bakery.

 _I’ll be back home, waiting for a chance to get the pomegranate inside the muffins._

He felt that his message was very appropriate, given the newly launched product. As he walked towards his car, Harvey thought about all the things that he and Mike had gone through together –both at work and at home- and all the things that they would go through together in the future. He was excited.

He felt as if he somehow got a second chance at an amazing life. He considered his life to have been pretty awesome ever since Jessica had picked him up from the mailroom, but this feeling in his chest was much more than ‘pretty awesome.’ It was amazing to have someone who understood you so well, someone he didn’t have to put up his guard against, someone who seemed to have a heart that never stopped spilling care and affection. Harvey couldn’t help but get his cell phone out and leave Mike another message.

 _Don’t flatter yourself, kid, but my life has become sweeter with you in it._

 

THE END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading :D Sweet(!) kisses to all of you <3


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